On October 19, children from the village of San Mateo arrived to Careyes by the truckload to attend our first community cinema screening of the school year.

Joining forces with the STPCC, we began the event with a presentation by biologist Alejandro Peña about the nesting process and the impacts of animal and human predators. He explained that animals(including crabs, birds, and raccoons) eat sea turtle eggs and hatchlings, and also that humans still take sea turtle shells to sell, all contributing to the extinction of the species. Vania, a second-grade student who attended the event, expressed her understanding of the importance of sea turtle preservation: “You have to think not just of yourself and how to make money [by capturing turtles to sell their shells] but also think about the animals.”

We then played A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures, an animated film that follows sea turtle characters as they overcome the challenges of global warming, pollution, and being captured by humans. By pairing this fun movie with an educational introduction, we were able to engage the children in understanding the environmental issues facing sea turtles today.